Toilet-training market flush with posh, playful potties

Thursday

May 23, 2013 at 12:01 AMMay 23, 2013 at 11:16 AM

NEW YORK - For some hopeful parents, summertime means "tinkle time" - with diaperless toddlers set free outside for potty training. And, like so many other aspects of life with children, potty training requires gear - plenty of gear.

NEW YORK - For some hopeful parents, summertime means "tinkle time" - with diaperless toddlers set free outside for potty training.

And, like so many other aspects of life with children, potty training requires gear - plenty of gear.

Something happened on the road to bathroom independence: The choices in potty seats and chairs proliferated, with all manner of bells and whistles added.

Many mimic Transformers to serve multiple functions.

One has a voice recorder to add a personal message ("Go, Jacob!").

Others play happy tunes, have cubbies in which to stash books and wipes, sport their own toilet-paper holders, resemble mini-urinals or suggest fancy thrones.

One features an iPad holder, and another with handlebars resembles a ride-on toy. Still more can be monogrammed; are round to resemble ladybugs and soccer balls; rock like rocking chairs; or, for the design-minded, resemble contemporary furniture. And there is no end to TV, movie and book tie-ins, from Sesame Street to SpongeBob SquarePants.

Basic molded-plastic potties remain popular in an industry worth more than $50 million in 2011, according to the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, a trade group of companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

"People talk about potty training more," said Angie Peterson, marketing director for Levels of Discovery, a company that puts out painted wooden potty thrones - pink for girls and blue for boys - for up to $83 apiece.

"Before, it was something you just got through, you know. You just did it."

Grandparents, Peterson said, are often the buyers of such thrones - which are bedecked with crowns and include a place to slide a photo of your little one. The potty thrones come with matching seat covers that turn them into chairs when training is complete.

Sick of unsightly plastic but not looking for ornate? The Potty Bench by Boon is sleek and curvy in minimalist color schemes of bright green or aqua against white.

"We wanted it to look cool," said Ryan Fernandez, co-founder of the company and father of four girls 12 and younger. "Take a look at the children's industry in the early 2000s, and it was just all paste-y and it had not had a face-lift, ever."

RNK Innovations makes potties akin to ride-on toys.

"The idea is to keep the child amused while they're on there, just to keep them entertained while they sit and wait for things to happen," said Narmin Parpia of RNK Innovations. "I think moms today are expecting it to be easy, and it isn't always as easy as they think it is."

Sales of her company's Riding Potty Chair increased last year by 5 to 10 percent over the previous year, she said.

"But I think some of the seats would drive me crazy as a parent - mostly the ones that play music when a sensor gets wet and you have to dry it off completely to make it stop," said Parpia, whose kids have grown up. "I think, at some point, when it does too much, it becomes a toy and the child wants to play with it rather than use it."

Heidi Murkoff, who wrote the pregnancy bible What To Expect When You're Expecting, isn't a huge believer in busy potty chairs.

"Bells and whistles, and musical potty seats, are never necessary," she said. "Clearly, babies have mastered potty proficiency for generations without them. They just make the process more fun.

"But the bottom line: What kind of seat you put that cute little bottom on matters far less than how ready your toddler is to start potty training."

There isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to potty-training gear, but some basic choices in seat type exist.

There's the stand-alone, which has to be dumped and cleaned, or an insert for the adult potty that makes the hole smaller. Both have pros and cons, Murkoff said.

Make sure a seat for the big potty doesn't slide around too much or have pinch points.

If you choose a free-standing potty, make sure it's sturdy enough not to tip over, advises Whattoexpect.com.

In any case, Murkoff said, take your tot shopping with you to build excitement.

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